


Igneel's son

by ionica01



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Character Development, Couple, Cute, F/M, Meeting, Nalu - Freeform, life - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-17
Updated: 2017-07-17
Packaged: 2018-12-03 11:07:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,423
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11530944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ionica01/pseuds/ionica01
Summary: Igneel's son needs some fuel to keep the fire within burning, especially if he's trying to light a small fire in the others' hearts as well.The celestial mage has stars in her eyes, but stars only reflect the light from other sources, and they can't create any kind of light.





	Igneel's son

Anyone who had the pleasure of meeting Natsu and seeing his flames could tell right away that he was Igneel's son. It wasn't just in the way he treated the flames, like they were his friends, or in the sparks that they created, which were bright enough to light the murky path he was walking on. It wasn't just in the way that he created a fire that was to last for long enough to turn anything to ashes and yet, at the same time, a warm, pleasant fire, that reminded of the warmth of the guild.   


It was mostly because of when he would use fire: Natsu wouldn't play around with his power, for he kept it for moments of need. Not his own need, but rather for when his friends were in a pinch.  It was in that Natsu himself was like fire. 

And if there was anything fueling Natsu's flames, it was his nakamas. After his dad's disappearance, the flame mage was devastated. His always smiling face suddenly lost its cheerfulness, tears tracing down his hot cheeks, a hoarse scream escaping his throat whenever the sobs would die out. It was like all the tears he hadn't cried up to that day were erupting all of a sudden, putting his interior flame to sleep. All alone. With no light guiding his path. All alone in the darkness.   


After being miserable for so long, Natsu grew stronger than ever before. He got used to suffering on his own. He got used to not talking to anyone for so long. He got used to seeing no human faces. It's amazing how he, just like his father, could adapt to new situations. Be it grief or loneliness, Natsu faced it all just like Igneel had thought him.   


And that was exactly why, when he found Fairy Tail, he never wanted to have to see anyone else go through what he did. He didn't want to see his friends cry, didn't want to see them die, didn't ever think about accepting letting them alone. They found his interior flames and lit them again, not brighter than before, but slowly fueling them with each interaction, until Natsu found it in himself to smile again. The least he could do was bring the guild together.

***

However, the flame weavers in the wind, even if it doesn't die out. And in certain cases, the wind can even carry it to light other places. As such, Natsu felt the ice surrounding Gray's soul and picked fights with him, aiming to melt the coldness in his heart, all while laughing nonchalantly. He did the same for Erza, challenging her whenever she looked down, making her chuckle on purpose. All his actions were beautifully disguised under his childish innocence, the results making his flames burn higher and brighter with each passing day.   


Even so, the small fire burning in his chest ached for the dragon who lit it in there in the first place. And so, from time to time, Natsu would leave on his own. Because if there was something which had never changed, it was the fact that he still suffered alone. The pink-haired trusted his friends, but he never found it in himself to talk to them about such things, since they had their fair share of problems.   


The only person he could confide in was Happy, the blue cat that soon became his best friend. He didn't even need to tell him anything for the most part, because Happy was just as lonely as him: they completed each other perfectly and knew how not to butt in, how to avoid painful questions and laugh together.   


The two of them went looking for Igneel tens of times. They searched city after city and rumor after rumor, only for their hopes to get crushed under the cruel reality: the dragon was gone. However, Natsu would not accept that so easily. It was denial and it was futile, he knew it deep inside. But searching for his father gave him a goal, despite feeling a small crack in his heart every time it didn't work out. In those times, the mage would hold back his tears for moments of true grief and put on a smile: "let's search the next town!" It didn't matter that the journey made him feel sick: he had a purpose.

***

Thinking back on it later, Natsu realised that if it hadn't been for his search, he would have never met a certain blonde celestial mage. Indeed, during one of his many outings, he bumped into Lucy, a girl who wanted to join Fairy Tail more than anything. 

At first, the boy had nothing to do with her: she seemed perfectly capable of doing things on her own, finding and walking her own path. Soon after saving her, though, he came to realise how much grief she hid, too. Behind her smile, there were stars that had stopped shining in the girl's heart. There were crushed dreams and wishes that couldn't come true, hidden behind sparkly eyes. The celestial mage was frail behind a strong facade.   


The similarities between him and the girl struck him and he started spending more time with her, trying to crack her mask. She was the first person that he ever invited on a mission, not even Gray and Erza having this privilege. He started invading her privacy, a boundary he wouldn't normally step over, but she was a special case. He would understand her unspoken wishes and sadness, and he would marvel over how strong she could actually be. Not physically, but mentally.   


He soon discovered that Lucy's mom had passed away at a young age. He also found out about her dad and how strict he was. This made him realise how much courage she had needed in order to step on her own path and stray from the one already chosen for her by her family. She was weak in terms of build, but she chose to fight alongside Natsu and provide support in any situation. More than anybody, she couldn't leave a person that was in need all alone, and she always stepped over her fears and prejudices in order to approach those who seemed secluded. Her spirits loved her and she learned how to deal with each and every one of them, despite their difficult and different personalities.

***

Being two of the same kind, the mages couldn't find it in themselves to leave each other alone. They both started piecing together bits of the other's past, yet never asked questions. It was a mutual understanding between the fireboy and the girl with stars. It was no coincidence that they were both light sources.   


They gathered friends in their happy and bright aura, but when they were all alone, the light within them became dim, because fire is fed from the outside, while stars reflect the light given to them. And so they found each other. For the first time since Happy, Natsu found another person he could be himself around. Someone to share the pain with. Someone like him.

But unlike anyone else, she cried for him. She cried in his place, became strong in his place, relied on him. She could fire him up in an instant and pour water on the sparks in the next moment. Most importantly, she gave him a place he could call home.   


It was nice, like the flames inside Natsu finally found a fireplace to burn in and illuminate and warm the others up even more. He felt at ease around the woman. He soon started realising that he didn't only like her: he needed her. It was like she was the oxygen he needed in order to burn and he could never lose something like that.   


During fights, he'd always protect her. Just like his dad, he knew how to protect what he held dear. Whenever the enemy would touch even a strand of Lucy's hair, he'd make sure to take revenge for that fully. And whenever he saw her injuries, his flames would reach unthinkable heights of rage and he'd go on a rampage. 

Sometimes they'd fight as a team, having each other's backs and that felt reassuring, too.

***

Such was the life of Igneel's son. She was the one keeping him burning. And he was the one who caught her when she fell. Pretty simple. But it's not complicated relationships that keep us floating on the sea of life, but rather the ones we need.   


**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> I really like the idea of Natsu and Lucy being persons that can reflect light, but they don't create it themselves. I hope you also enjoyed this:) As always, Kudos and comments are very much appreciated.


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